Grandia 2: Woe
by Nemorian
Summary: A Geohound, his apprentice and a Sister of Granas unknowingly follow in Ryudo's wake, only to find themselves drawn into a battle with Valmar of their own.
1. From Darkness

Desmond yawned, leaning against his sword and wishing that he could find a job in the next week, if not sooner. There was no telling if his funds would even stretch that far, but he had to try and last until someone was looking to hire a Geohound. Granted, the chances of that were less than nil where he was now. Last he knew, he was somewhere north of Carbo, a small town where very little happened and nobody there could afford his services even if something did.

To make matters worse, he wasn't going solo anymore. If he was, maybe he could have made his gold last the week, but having to feed his new so-called "apprentice" was more financially draining than he had anticipated. Though it wasn't as if he had much choice in the matter. After a job a few months back, he was stuck either taking the kid along or abandoning her in the middle of nowhere. Geohound or not, he couldn't bring himself to just leave her there.

"Maria..." Desmond muttered, watching the girl work. She was crouched by a stump, using the top of it and the small hatchet she always carried to carefully slice up a root of a flower she yanked out of the ground. "...seriously, how much monger are you going to be? We have to find work, you know."

"I'd be done by now if you'd buy me a knife, you tightwad." She replied shortly.

Desmond shook his head. The kid hadn't been with him long, but she was certainly getting the attitude of a Geohound. At least toward him, she was still very civil toward their clients. "I can't get new equipment if we're broke. What are you doing, anyway?"

"Like you said, we're broke, and in the middle of nowhere too. Again." Maria stood up, barely over half Desmond's height as well as age, and pointed her hatchet at the chopped plant. "These roots offer some nutrition, which we could probably use. How long has it been since we had a proper meal at an inn?"

He shrugged. "I dunno, a couple weeks?"

"You say that like it doesn't mean anything."

"I went a month without staying at an inn once, before you turned up."

Maria shook her head, gathering up the chopped root in a small bag. "I don't know how you ever made it without me trying to keep you healthy."

Desmond rolled his eyes. Sure, she knew a little more about where to find useful stuff in the wild since her parents hadn't lived anywhere near a town, but that didn't mean he was ignorant of the basics. "Can we just go? I'd like to get to a decent spot to camp before nightfall and it's getting late."

"Sure, sure." She mumbled, hanging the hatchet over her shoulder by the leather strap attached to the handle's base. "By the way, you do realize you've been standing in a patch of poison ivy for the last ten minutes, right?"

"Huh?" He looked down and swore under his breath, a habit he'd been forcing himself into ever since being stuck with the kid. "Y-yeah. Of course I did." He quickly lied. "My clothing's thick enough that it won't get to me though."

"Riiight..." Maria said, walking around the ivy.

Desmond thought he heard her mutter something that sounded suspiciously like "some Geohound" as she passed. He scowled, following after her and wondering why he couldn't have an apprentice his personality _wouldn't_ rub off on... or at least one old enough to flirt with.

---

Maria stared up at Desmond's back, crimson staining his sword and short blonde hair. The building nearby casting a wavering light across them as it burned to the ground. He looked over his shoulder, his face mostly hidden in shadow.

"I did what I was supposed to. What I was hired to do." Demond said, his tone even. "That's why..."

Maria waited for the end of his sentence, trembling in fear. The firelight showed the corpses littering the ground, and she couldn't stop herself from thinking that he was going to turn on her as well.

He lashed his sword across the ground once before sheathing it and facing her. "You're coming with me."

She jerked backwards as he reached for her, and smacked the back of her head against a fallen tree, knocking her to her senses. Blinking a few times, she sat back up and looked at the campfire in front of her, then at Desmond, who was reclining against a nearby tree and giving her a curious look.

"How many times have I told you to lay down before you fall asleep? You'll hurt yourself sleeping while sitting up." He said.

"I know, I know. I'm probably just overtired. Sometimes I can't even consider getting comfortable before I nod off." She replied, crossing her arms and scooting a little closer to the campfire.

"Another nightmare?" Desmond asked.

She nodded.

"If you want to be a Geohound, you're going to have to get used to them." He said, closing his eyes.

Maria glared at him. The cause of her nightmares and not even able to show a little sympathy. She contemplated hurling a rock at him, or maybe even her hatchet, but flinched when his eyes suddenly shot open and he practically leapt to his feet.

"W-what is it?" She stuttered as he drew his sword.

"You didn't hear that?" He wondered, looking off into the darkness just beyond the firelight.

Maria grabbed her hatchet and glanced in the same direction. "No, is it monsters?"

"I don't think so. It was faint, but it sounded like a woman's scream." Desmond started off into the shadows. "Come on, we should check it out."

"Right." Taking a moment to dump some dirt onto the fire and put it out, she hurried after him.

---

Desmond rushed through the forest as fast as he could go while still keeping Maria in sight. As much as he wanted to find whoever screamed, getting separated from his apprentice in a place like this at night wasn't worth making good time. The trees broke, opening into a small clearing around a huge tower.

Maria came to a stop beside him. "What in the world is this place?"

"Got me. It might be where the scream..." He trailed off, straining to listen. Again, it was faint, but he thought he heard someone cry out, this time a man, followed by the clash of steel. It was definitely coming from the tower. "Follow me, stay close." He said, drawing his sword and rushing around the building to find the entrance.

The large tower doors were half-open when they came into view. Desmond took three steps inside, saw a sudden flurry of movement and threw himself out of the way just a spider the size of a boulder landed where he had been standing not a moment ago. Desmond reacted on instinct, swinging his sword at it, missing anything vital but managing to take off one of its legs.

It lurched backwards as Desmond regained his footing and faced it. "Damn it, the last thing I need now is a insect problem." He muttered.

A flash of steel came through the doorway the beast had stopped beside, and it let out a pained screech as Maria's hatchet dug in between its second and third left legs. The spider whipped around, knocking her back and making a bite at her leg. Unfortunately for it, Desmond had started moving just before Maria's blow connected.

He pushed off with his left foot hard, spun once and used the momentum as he tore his sword through the remaining three legs on its right side. It screeched even louder than before, missing Maria and hitting the ground, its stumped legs flailing. Maria raised her hatchet and brought the blade down on the spider's head with a wet, squelching sound and it stopped moving.

After giving it a kick to make sure it was dead, Desmond gave Maria a grin. "I think we're getting better at this teamwork thing."

She nodded, then looked at him. "Arachnid."

"Huh?"

Yanking the hatchet free of the spider's head, she sighed. "Spiders are arachnids, not insects."

Desmond shouldered his sword. "That doesn't stop them from bugging the hell out of me though."

"Nobody likes bad puns, Desmond." Maria said, walking past him and looking around.

"Punk kids with no sense of humor aren't very popular either." He grumbled.

She ignored the comment. "Someone else is here."

Desmond joined her, noticing other spiders all around the room, most of them dead. "Killed by a sword, probably one like mine. Must have been another Geohound." He noted.

"What's a Geohound doing here?" Maria wondered.

Desmond just gave a shrug. "Pest control?"

She frowned at him for a second, the headed toward the staircase on the other side of the room. "If they're still here, we should ask. Maybe we can help."

"If it's a Geohound, they won't want any backup. It'd cut into their pay because there's no way in hell I'm doing a freebie at a time like this." Desmond pointed out, following after her. "And let me go first, there might be more of those things still alive!"

They climbed countless stairs up the tower, picking off a few more spiders left alive, before they were forced to come to an abrupt stop after looking up the next flight of stairs. About halfway up, there was darkness. Not from a lack of light, but pure dark energy with flickers of purple streaking across it at random.

Maria took a quick step backwards. "What is that?"

"Well, it's no arachnid." Desmond said, moving to the bottom of the staircase. "I guess the Geohound must have gone into it."

"W-Who in their right mind would go into that?" She stuttered, moving back a little more.

He glanced over his shoulder at her. "Not me. If the Geohound did go in there, they're on their own."

Maria nodded, then her eyes widened. "Look out!"

Desmond held up his sword to block whatever was coming as he faced the staircase. A foot had appeared from the black energy, resting on the highest visible step. Another emerged and Desmond watched cautiously as someone slowly emerged from the darkness. He tried to focus on details as the person's legs came into view. _Slow stride, possibly wounded or just having trouble moving in that stuff..._

Another step brought everything up to their stomach in view. _Not armed... and those clothes... it's not a Geohound, looks like what a follower of Granas would wear. _Their chest appeared. _A female follower of Granas at that. Maybe my luck's changing._

Two more steps took her head from the darkness. Her hair that was half-covered by something along the lines of a white bandanna, but two bright-red pigtails puffed out on either side and short tufts of red spilled out over her forehead. Her eyes were emerald green and unfocused. She looked down, didn't give any sign that she had really noticed them, and started to fall forward.

Desmond dropped his sword, dashing up and catching her before her head struck the stone staircase. Her body was cool and hung limply in his arms, but since she was still breathing he figured it was because of whatever effect the dark energy had on her.

"I think we found out who screamed." He said, lifting her up a little but getting no response. "Looks like she's out cold now though."

"Is she going to be okay?" Maria asked, not moving any closer.

Desmond hoisted her over his shoulder, careful not to stumble as he made his way back down. "I don't know, but she needs to be warmed up. Let's get outside and find a place to start another fire." He cast a glance back at the darkness. "Maybe she can tell us what the hell is going on when she wakes up."


	2. To Carbo

"C-Couldn't we go just a little further? Please?" Maria asked.

Desmond looked back at the tower over the shoulder that wasn't straining under at least a hundred pounds of Granas disciple. The dark energy had begun spread shortly after they started to leave, making them have to run like mad for the entrance before they were engulfed by it. Nothing could be seen of the tower anymore, encased in darkness.

Luckily, it didn't look like it was going to expand any further, and they had found the dimming embers of a campfire not too far from the tower's entrance. Desmond looked back at Maria and shook his head, trying to carefully lower the Sister to the ground. Although getting far away from that place was a good idea in his mind too, he didn't have the stamina to lug the woman any further after fighting hordes of spiders up the tower and carrying her, while running in a panic, back down.

"Find some more firewood, it's going out and she's still freezing." He said, laying the Sister on her back.

"Right..." Maria mumbled, hurrying off into the woods.

Desmond stared at the Sister for a moment, but didn't see any sign of movement. She was pale enough that he couldn't help thinking she might be dead, but the pulse he found suggested otherwise. Taking a blanket out of the pack he carried, he laid it out on the ground by the campfire and lifted the Sister onto it. As he finished wrapping the cloth around her, Maria returned with an armful of sticks.

"Good, I'll go find some more, you stay here just in case she wakes up." Desmond said, standing up and heading toward the forest.

"W-wait a minute..." Maria looked at the tower. "...what if it starts moving again?"

"It hasn't gone any further yet, so I think you'll be fine." He shrugged. "Don't worry so much."

"That's hardly comforting." She muttered.

Desmond sighed. "Still such a kid, being afraid of the dark."

"Dark I can live with, that's dark_ness_." She dropped the sticks into the embers. "Twice as many letters, twice as bad."

"Oh yeah. Can't deny logic like that." He replied sarcastically. "Back in a few minutes. Keep an eye out for the boogeyman while I'm gone."

Maria sat on the ground by the Sister, beginning to absent-mindedly twist a few strands of her black hair and grumbling to herself. "Boogeyman... ha. Jerk."

---

A crash of thunder in the distance, and the unusual sensation it brought with it was the first thing she noticed. Second was weight on her sides, keeping her sitting up. Last of all was the voice of a girl that came from her right.

"Is there a storm nearby?" It asked.

A man's voice to her left answered. "Sounds like it. I hope it doesn't start raining, the Sister here is just starting to warm up."

"You know she's going to freak out when she wakes up, right? I would if I was sandwiched between two strangers." The girl said.

"Probably, but I'm used to it." The man sighed. "Just because I'm a Geohound, people always think the worst."

"Geohound?" The Sister wondered, opening her eyes and looking at the man leaning against her.

He let out a startled "Holy crap!" and toppled over, quickly bringing up one arm to block his face.

"I thought people in your line of work had to be fearless, Desmond." The girl commented, grinning at him.

"S-shut up, Maria." Desmond stuttered, sliding back a little and lowering his arm. "I was expecting a slap or punch or something, knowing how most people react."

"Geohound..." The Sister repeated, turning to the fire. "...I know that word... but..."

Maria blinked at her. "Are you feeling okay?"

The Sister put a hand to her forehead. "Everything's so fuzzy... what happened to me?"

"That's what I wanted to ask. You walked out of that and passed out." Desmond nodded to something behind her.

She twisted around and stared at what looked like a pillar of darkness, and the sensation she had been feeling since hearing the thunder stopped. Her head twinged with pain and she gasped, a flash of names and images rushing through her mind.

"Hey, don't faint again!" Desmond said, grabbing her shoulder as she started to fall. "I don't want to have to carry you all the way to Carbo."

"I know that name." She muttered. "I think someone's there, waiting for me."

"A friend? Family?" Maria asked.

The Sister shook her head. "I don't know, I just feel like I should be there. Which way is it?"

"I know where this is going, and no." Desmond stated. "There's no way in hell you're going to Carbo now. This forest is too dangerous at night, there's no way I'm going to let you run off and get yourself killed after lugging you out of that damn tower. Wait until morning and we'll all go together."

Maria smirked, glancing from him to the Sister. "Showing an interest in _religion_ Desmond?"

"You're not old enough to be suggesting things like that." He said, giving her an annoyed look. "Besides, we were headed there anyway, remember? It's safer to travel in a group."

"Suuure we were." She said, before turning to the Sister again. "So what's your name, anyway? Mine's Maria and the so-called Geohound over there is Desmond."

The Sister paused, searching through the pieces of what she could remember. A few names came to mind, but only one seemed to stand out. "I think... my name is Elena."

"All right then, Elena. Rest up and we'll make for Carbo at dawn."

---

By the time Carbo came into view, it was well past noon. They hadn't run into any trouble on the way, but waking up Elena was next to impossible and gave them a late start. Even as they approached the town, she looked as if she could nod off again any second.

"Don't collapse now, wait until we get to the inn." Desmond said, staying close enough to catch her if she fell.

"Can't you show any sympathy?" Maria wondered, then looked at Elena. "Are you in pain?"

She shook her head. "No, just weak and exhausted."

"Must be a side effect of the darkness." Desmond grabbed her shoulder as she stumbled. "Alright, that's enough of that. I'm tired of watching you walk like a drunk."

What do you- hey! Stop it!" Elena yelled as he wrapped one arm around her, swung her up off the ground and caught her legs under his other arm.

"Save the complaints and your energy. If I let you hurt yourself this close to town, whoever you said is waiting for you would probably chew me out. Besides, I always wanted to sweep a girl off her feet." He said, giving her a smirk.

She frowned at him, but said nothing. Maria just rolled her eyes.

They entered the town a couple minutes later, Desmond coming to a stop a few feet short of the fountain on the center of town. A broken stone mount stood atop it, pieces of stone scattered around the walkway the only thing left of the statue it used to be holding. Almost every rooftop in the town had blackened marks left by lightning, and most of the treetops were equally scorched. However, only the church had suffered any major damage, the roof full of holes and the highest tower having been blasted away much like the statue.

Maria kicked a piece of stone along the path. "I'm glad we missed that storm."

"No kidding." Desmond agreed, looking at Elena, who was staring blankly at the destruction. "You okay?"

She shifted her legs and Desmond dropped them, letting her walk over to the fountain. Leaning against the edge and staring into the water for a few moments, she closed her eyes. "This isn't right."

"What isn't?" Maria asked, walking up next to her.

"I wish I knew... I just feel like I'm-"

A man's voice rang out ahead of them. "TESSA?!"

The trio all looked at the older man now sprinting around the fountain, almost tripping over bits of stone and his own lengthy robes. He came to a stop by the Sister, who took a quick step away from him.

"You're alive... praise Granas!" The man made a quick gesture with his hand which Desmond figured had some religious significance. "When the Geohound returned saying you had died... I..."

"Geohound?" She blinked at him, then turned to Desmond.

"Hey, don't look at me like that. I just got here." He said with a shrug. "Besides, what's up with this 'Tessa' stuff? You said your name was Elena."

"I thought it was."

The Priest looked from one to the other. "You thought you were Elena? What are you talking about?"

"I'm confused too, sir." Maria sighed, scratching her head. "If you know Ele- uh... Tessa, maybe you can help us piece things together."

"Yes... please, come with me." He turned, heading toward the chruch. "We should discuss what happened to my daughter in private."

Tessa slowly followed, staring at the ground and in deep thought about something. Maria started to go after her, but stopped when she noticed the expression on Desmond's face. "What's wrong? You look like you got punched in the stomach."

"She's his daughter? Hell." Desmond muttered, rubbing his forehead where it was starting to ache. "Something tells me this is going to end up being more complicated than it needs to be."


	3. Meaningless

"I see." Father Carius muttered, staring at the tabletop. "If Tessa was engulfed in Valmar's darkness, there were bound to be side effects. She is fortunate only her memory was lost and you were there to help her before something worse happened."

Desmond shrugged from his spot across the table. "I wouldn't call it that, I ended up doing another freebie because of my damned reflexes. Unless, of course, you'd be willing to offer up a few- ow!"

"Now isn't the time to be greedy!" Maria snapped, kicking him in the shin.

Carius shook his head, smiling weakly at them. "No, I understand. Just as I'm worried about my daughter, he's worried about his own. I can't offer any money, I'm afraid, but I can arrange for you to stay at the inn free of charge for a night or two."

The pair of them stared at him for a moment, dumbfounded at what he had suggested, before loudly objecting at the same time. "My Daughter, are you insane! The brat's only ten years younger than me!" was Desmond's outburst, while Maria chose a simpler denial of "No way is a guy this stupid my Dad!"

Father Carius blinked at them. "I don't understand. If she is not-"

"It's a long story, Carius." Desmond cut in. "One that I'd really not like to go over right now."

He hesitated, but felt it was best not to press the matter. "Very well. I will send word to the innkeeper about you. Thank you again for saving my daughter Tessa, I only wish I could do more to repay you."

Maria gave him a crooked grin, since the mere thought of being related to a person like Desmond was making her want to axe something. "A good meal and proper bed are thanks enough, right Desmond?"

The Geohound crossed his arms, thinking for a moment. "There is one thing. Do you have any spare knives or daggers laying around? Maria's been complaining about not having one for as long as I can remember and- OW! What was that for?"

Kicking him again under the table, Maria scowled. "I wouldn't be complaining if you'd bought me one when I first asked! There's no reason for the Father to make up for you being such a cheapskate!"

"I'm not a cheapskate!"

"Now, now, there's no need for all the yelling." Father Carius said, trying to calm them. "I'll see what I can find and stop by the inn later."

"Thanks, Carius. We'll see you in a while then." Desmond slid off his chair and hurried out of the room before Maria could take another whack at him.

"Don't run away!" She snapped, getting up to chase after him, pausing only long enough to thank the Father for his time.

Father Carius chuckled as she ran out the door. Even though they had said they weren't related, they certainly seemed to bicker like siblings.

xxx

Tessa stared blankly at the ceiling as she laid in bed. No memories of the town came to mind, but she felt a sense of familiarity around she just couldn't put into words. It didn't feel like it was coming from the town itself, but was just in the air.

A rap at the door made her sit up. "Yes?"

The door opened with a light creak and Father Carius stepped inside. "How are you feeling?"

"A little tired, but fine aside from that." She stated, looking out the window instead of at him.

"Can you remember anything?"

She shook her head. "I'm afraid not, Father." She noticed his dim reflection in the window's glass as a pained expression crossed his face, possibly from both not being remembered and her tone that suggested she had been using the professional term for Father instead of a personal one.

"I see... I'm going into town for a little while. Do you need anything before I go?"

She shook her head again in reply.

"Alright, I'll return shortly." He said, leaving her to her thoughts.

Doubting him being around would help her remember anything anyway, Tessa yawned and dropped onto her back again. Maybe she just had to give it time. Still, she felt no fondness for the town or the people in it, even with that feeling. Although, something about those two caught her interest, Desmond and Maria. It wasn't just because they had helped her, it was something else. Another thing she couldn't begin to explain or understand.

Frowning at the cracks in the ceiling, she rolled onto her side and tried to sleep.

xxx

Two days passed. Desmond and Maria enjoyed the time they were spending in an actual town, but it was clear the former was getting restless. He was never good at staying in one spot for very long. Father Carius came though with the dagger as well, having been owed a favor by the local weapon merchant he was able to get one that was fairly well made for them.

Desmond was walking around the fountain in the center of town, he had been circling it for a good twenty minutes and gotten some odd looks from the residents passing by, but he ignored them. Being idle was driving him crazy. He needed to find another job or at least be on his way to a town where he could find one. The feeling of someone staring returned and he sighed, glancing at who it was. Tessa was sitting on the stone fence around the small town square, watching him curiously.

"Is this some sort of training for you?" She asked.

He shrugged. "Gotta keep in shape. Geohounds do a lot of walking, you know."

"No, I don't."

Considering for a moment, Desmond walked over and sat down on the fence next to her. "Still can't remember anything, then?"

"Nothing significant since I woke up with you and Maria." She muttered, staring at the ground and frowning. "When we first got here, I thought this town was familiar, but... it's gone now. The feeling I had. I don't know what it was... or how to explain it."

"It'll come back to you eventually, just give it time." Desmond said, trying to be comforting, though he knew it wasn't his strong point.

"What do I do before then? Just sit around and wait?"

"Well, that's..." He trailed off, thinking. What so-called normal people did day to day was something he'd never known. He'd been traveling pretty much since the day he was born. "...that's up to you. Figure out what you're good at, what you like or what you want and just go with it."

"Is that what you do?" Tessa wondered, looking at him.

"More or less. Doesn't earn me a lot of..." A few words drifted through his mind. Money, respect, friends, even thanks."...anything... but I'm pretty happy with how I live."

"Happy, huh? That's..." Tessa's eyes widened and she pushed herself off the fence, spinning to face the road out of town. The feeling she got before, from the town, was back. Fainter this time, like it was calling out to her from far away, but she knew it was the same. Every fiber of her being was telling her to run after it before it faded again, but she managed to hold herself back.

"What's wrong?" Desmond asked, having stepped up next to her without her noticing.

"I think... I just found what I want." She found herself grinning at him. "I want to go for it... but..."

He raised a curious eyebrow at her. "But...?"

"I want to go with you."

Desmond gaped at her, taken off guard and having no idea how to take that. Had he actually succeeded in attracting a girl? Just his luck it would be a Preacher's daughter with amnesia. Still, she wasn't bad looking, and seemed like she had the potential to be fun when not on the depressed side from her lost memories and lack of direction.

Of course, the next thing she said was a slap in the face of that little fantasy. "How much is it to hire you?"

"Oh... it depends on the job." He replied, doing his best not to let his disappointment show.

She pointed south. "I need you to take me that way."

"That... way?" He wondered, never have been given such a vague assignment offer. "How far, exactly?"

"I don't know, I just have to go that way."

Desmond frowned. "Your Father won't be thrilled with idea of you leaving town, you know."

"Why should I care what someone I can't even remember thinks?" She asked, but didn't give him a chance to answer. "Now, are you going to give me a price?"

He sighed, thinking. Bodyguard duty wasn't one he particularly liked, especially not since it was that type of job that had landed him with Maria. Still, from the way she was talking, if he didn't go with her she'd probably run off alone the first chance she got and get killed. "A thousand is what I usually charge, but how are you-"

Tessa had already turned and headed for the church. "I'll meet you at the inn!" She called back as she began to run.

Skeptical she could come up with the money when Carius could barely pay her for finding her, Desmond shrugged and decided to return to the inn for now, if only to tell Maria they may have just gotten a new job.

xxx

"I don't like this at all." Maria mumbled, closing up her small pack. "Taking someone who couldn't even remember their own name somewhere they can't even specify is just asking for trouble."

What else was I supposed to do? She was clearly determined about going." Desmond explained, sliding his freshly sharpened sword into its sheath. "I doubt she'll come up with a thousand anyway."

"And you really think that will make her give up?"

"Not a chance." He double-checked that they had everything and opened the room door for his companion. "Gotta at least try to make a profit off this though."

"Greedy jerk." She muttered as she passed by.

"Well excuse me for making sure we have travel funds." He grumbled, following.

Tessa entered the inn just as they were about to sit down at the table to wait for her, Father Carius on her heels and clearly trying to talk her out of it. She was ignoring him to the point she seemed oblivious to his presence.

"Ready to go, you two?" She asked.

Desmond shrugged. "Depends, can you afford the price?"

She pushed a bag into his hand and Desmond opened it. One look and the weight told him there was even more than he'd asked for inside.

"It's easy to get money fast when stuff that's yours suddenly has no meaning to you whatsoever." She said, noticing his surprised expression.

"Tessa, please reconsider-" Father Carius was still pleading in the background, ignored by all of them except for the sympathetic look Maria was giving him.

Nodding, Desmond stowed the money into his pack. "Alright, let's get going. South, right?"

"Yep. I'll show you which way exactly." Tessa led them out of the inn and down the road out of town with Desmond at her side.

Maria hesitated at the gate, looking at Father Carius as he stared at his departing daughter's back. "We'll look after her."

"I... I'm sure you will..." He muttered, tears in his eyes.

"Try not to worry too much... she knows where you are and once she gets her memories back I'm sure she'll come home." She assured him.

He smiled sadly. "Yes, but... even if she doesn't, at least I know she's still alive. If nothing else, I have that."

Nodding and silently wishing she had even that small sort of comfort, Maria waved goodbye and hurried to catch up with her companions.


End file.
